Friday, September 13, 2019

There is a new issue of the open access Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (JEAHIL), vol. 15 issue 3, 2019. It includes:
- How do we teach clinicians where the resources for best evidence are? by Sandra Kendall, Michelle Ryu, Chris Walsh
- Searchaton: a gamified, team-based on-site teaching format for literature searching for medical students by Michael Wilde, Monika Wechsler, Hannah Ewald
Go to http://ojs.eahil.eu/ojs/index.php/JEAHIL/issue/view/130Photo by Sheila Webber: Gerhard Horak "Landschaftsstücke"; Juliusspital park, Germany, August 2019

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The conference Reading in a Digital Environment: Media Use, Functional Literacies and Future Challenges for Universities, taking place at Universität Regensburg, Germany, November 8, 2019, has an interesting programme. They are also seeking poster proposals, deadline 11 October 2019. The conference is free to students, and 75 Euros to others. More info at https://www.uni-regensburg.de/bibliothek/veranstaltungskalender/reading2019/index.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: open bookshelf for children, Bayreuth, Germany, August 2019

Recent articles from the open access journal College & Research Libraries News include: from Vol 80, No 8, 2019 includes- Assessment and social change: Empowering underserved students to reimagine their future through STEM outreach by Thura Mack, Savanna Draper
Go to https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/issue/view/1527/showToc

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

The Library Research Seminar takes place in Columbia, SC, USA, at the University of South Carolina on October 16-18 2019. The conference theme is Research Matters: Strengthening Our Values, Defining Our Practice. It has an interesting programme, including a session focusing on information literacy research. More information at https://sites.google.com/ucmo.edu/lrs-vii/homePhoto by Sheila Webber: Glenelg, July 2019

Monday, September 09, 2019

The PMLG (+ ILG) National Conference 2019: Information Literacy in Public Libraries takes place on 4 October 2019 at Canada Wharf Library Theatre, London, UK. The "conference explores: Health Information Literacy; eSafety for Public Library Users; Information Literacy Skills for Children and Young People; The Architecture of Information; Basic Digital Literacies for the Otherwise Disenfranchised; Drawing together the many strands of information literacy in public libraries. Often overlooked, information literacy stands at the core of a public library’s purpose. Whether it is teaching children how to answer their own questions or supporting retirees to get online, public libraries daily contribute to the development of information literacy skills within their communities."
Sessions will include a workshop on information literacy in everyday life from my colleague in the University of Sheffield iSchool, Dr Pamela McKinney.
More information and registration at https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1268656Photo by Sheila Webber: Blackfriars station, London, September 2019

Friday, September 06, 2019

The Call for Proposals for the Library Instruction West 2020 is open until 23 September 2019. The conference takes place at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, on unceded Duwamish lands, July 22-24, 2020. The conference theme is Justice.
"The concept of justice raises more questions than answers: justice for whom, and when? What does justice look like when done well? Is justice something that can ever be achieved, or is it the goal toward which we continually work? The conference organizing committee seeks creative, dynamic session proposals that engage with the conference theme. How can instruction in libraries yield more just outcomes for our learners and library workers? How does “justice” differ from neutrality, fairness, or open-mindedness? How do libraries perpetuate injustice, and what steps can we take to address oppression and inequality in our workplaces?"
Session formats include: Hands-on workshops (up to 2 hours); Solo or panel presentations (approximately 1 hour); Lesson plan demonstrations (approximately 1 hour); Case studies (approximately 1 hour); Facilitated group discussions (approximately 1 hour); Short talks (approximately 30 minutes); Lightning talks (10 minutes or shorter).
Themes they are particularly interested in include: Information privilege; Power and hierarchies in information systems, including bias in algorithms/machine learning/artificial intelligence; Propaganda and misinformation; Teaching information literacy, including outreach, empowerment of learners and use of technologies; Models for information literacy instruction programs tailored to specific populations. This year they are using an open review process "where identifying information (including your name, institutional affiliation, and self-disclosed positionality) will be included with proposals when reviewed." More details are on the website at https://libraryinstructionwest.wordpress.com/Photo by Sheila Webber: unripe apple on my tree, August 2019

Wednesday, September 04, 2019

There is a call for contributions of all sorts for a publication, Shaping the Futures of Learning in the Digital Age. It is part of the ShapingEdu initiative and they say it "is an open access, online publication that aims to capture perspectives on what it means to be creating the future of education -- how we do it well, what success looks like, how we overcome barriers, and all of the big questions and ideas that come with transforming an entire ecosystem." The submission deadline to November 1, 2019.
Possible contributions are: "Short 1-2 page papers (e.g., a trends paper focused on something that deserves our attention in this space); Poems; Video stories (include YouTube or Vimeo link in a word doc, with a brief text summary); Podcast episodes you produced (include the link in a word doc, with a brief text summary); Think-pieces or Feel-pieces (We’ll let you decide what that means.); Bold predictions about the future; A research proposal or research findings; Technology architecture blueprints; Write-ups of any projects you’re working on focused on any of the 10 Actions" They urge that the items should address one of the ShapingEdu 10 actions: https://shapingedu.asu.edu/10-actions These don't explicitly include information literacy, but I can see actions which are very relevant to information literacy and libraries. More information at https://shapingedu.asu.edu/open-access-journalPhoto by Sheila Webber: Juliusspital park, Wurzburg, August 2019

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

The online course Primary Source Pedagogy, taught by Robin Katz, runs from September 3-28 2019. It costs US $175. "This course will explore what "primary source" even means. It also assumes that they can be found everywhere — in museums, archives, or special collections; in circulating collections or subscription databases; on the open web, in private hands, or even in natural and built environments. A key text for this course will be the new Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy. ... Students who successfully complete this course will gain confidence in their teaching by: - recognizing what skills and expertise they bring to primary source pedagogy; - developing new conceptual frameworks for understanding primary sources; - discovering useful, trusted resources for teaching with primary sources; - mastering concepts of instructional design and active learning; - applying practical strategies for planning and facilitating learning experiences in a wide variety of library settings"
More information at http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/199-primary-source-pedagogy.php

Information Literacy is ...

"the adoption of appropriate information behaviour to identify, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, leading to wise and ethical use of information in society." (Webber and Johnston)